Elastic knee-joint bandage

ABSTRACT

An elastic knee support is designed as a flexible tube (5) with an elastic profiled insert (6) in the area of the hollow of the knee. The profiled insert extends across the axis of the leg, covering the sinews (11,12) of the hollow of the knee. Recesses (7,8) which receive each one sinew of the hollow of the knee interrupt on both sides of the sinews of the hollow of the knee supporting zones of the profiled insert which exercise a pressure on the hollow of the knee.

The invention relates to a knee-joint bandage in the form of a tube withan elastic profiled insert in the region of the back of the knee.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Elastic knee-joint bandages with profiled inserts are used, on the onehand, to protect the knee in particular against sports accidents andalso to support the injured knee, it being necessary for the knee-jointbandage to surround the knee joint in such a manner that the normalmobility of the knee joint is not decisively impaired while, however,false movements and false position of the knee joint are largelyprevented. In any case, when the knee is bent, the knee-joint bandage iscompressed in the region of the popliteal space or back of the knee,respectively this leading in particular to folds in the bandage whichcause pain to the wearer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

An elastic knee-joint bandage with a profiled insert surrounding theknee cap is disclosed, for example, in DE-PS 39 91 334.

In order to reduce or to prevent folding of the knee-joint bandage inthe region of the knee joint, knee-joint bandages have already been madein the knee-joint region from particularly loosely woven or thin textilematerial. It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,722 to leave the entirepopliteal region exposed.

It has now been demonstrated that it is medically desirable to provideelastic profiled inserts also in the popliteal region, in order toobtain an intermittent massage effect in said region.

A knee-joint bandage serving to protect the knee joint against sportsaccidents, with four profiled inserts cushioning the knee joint at thesides thereof as well as at the front and back thereof, is known fromU.S. Pat. No. 3,375,821. In said knee-joint bandage, the two lateralprofiled inserts and the front profiled insert are joined together,whereas the profiled insert protecting the popliteal space is notconnected to the two lateral profiled inserts. Said profiled insert isleft with a certain freedom of mobility, apparently in order thereby toprovide the bandage with sufficient flexibility and in order, when theknee is bent, to absorb ensuing folds in the manner of a cushion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to create an elastic elongated,knee-joint bandage with an elastic profiled insert, said knee-jointbandage being distinguished in that it does not cause any pain to thewearer during constantly repeated bending of the knee, while, however,also giving rise to the intermittent massage effect. According to theinvention this is achieved in that the profiled insert, extendingtransversely with respect to the axis of the leg, reaches so far beyondthe popliteal tendons that support regions of the profiled insert - saidsupport regions exerting a pressure on the popliteal space - areinterrupted on either side of the popliteal tendons (11, 12) byrecesses, or grooves extending along the axis of the leg in theprofioled insert and each accommodating one popliteal tendon.

During the testing of this knee-joint bandage, it has been demonstratedthat the recesses accommodating the popliteal tendons leave sufficientspace when the knee is bent, such that the profiled insert is unable, inthe region of the popliteal space, to exert any pressure on thepopliteal tendons. However, the desired therapeutic effect of andemanating from the elastic profiled insert is fully maintained, sincesaid profiled insert is able, to exert pressure on the popliteal space,adjacent to the recesses, albeit without exerting pressure on theprotruding popliteal tendons.

The hereinbefore-described design of the elastic knee-joint bandageaccording to the invention may be employed irrespective of whether theknee-joint bandage is provided with profiled inserts also in the regionof the sides of the knee or additionally in the region of the knee cap.

It is advantageous for the specially shaped insert to be looselypositioned between the tube and an elastic textile covering extendingacross the profiled insert and the edge thereof being elasticallyconnected to the tube. This design permits the simple manufacture of theknee-joint bandage, the profiled insert being sufficiently held inposition by the elastic covering. The elastic covering can then beconnected by its edge to the tube either by bonding or by sewing. Such aconnection can be made elastically, either by means of an elastic glueor by means of an elasticity-permitting seam.

In order to provide the knee-joint bandage with good adhesion on theknee, it is advantageous for the covering to be provided with at leastone window, directed towards the knee, for the profiled insert tocontact the skin. In this case, owing to its surface, the profiledinsert effects good adhesion on the skin, especially if the profiledinsert is made of silicone rubber.

It should additionally be pointed out that it is, of course, alsopossible to use other materials for making the profiled insert,particularly foam rubber, pads with air inclusions, profiled pads withtooth-like notches for the facilitation of bending and similar.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention are represented in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the view of a knee joint with popliteal space facing

the observer, with fitted knee-joint bandage;

FIG. 2 shows a section through the arrangement according to

FIG. 1 along line II--II from FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 shows a detail from FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows section by section a human leg 1 with the thigh 2 and thelower leg 3, with the knee joint 4 situated therebetween. The leg 1represented in the drawing shows the observer the side with thepopliteal space 10 (see FIG. 2). The elastic knee-joint bandage in theform of an elongated tube 5 made an elastic textile material, has beenpulled over the leg 1. Inserted into the knee-joint bandage 5 on thepopliteal-space side thereof facing the observer is the elastic profiledinsert 6, which profiled insert 6 is provided with the two recesses orgrooves 7 and 8, the purpose of which two recesses 7 and 8 is, when theknee 4 is bent, to accommodate the tendons on either side of thepopliteal space (see FIG. 2). The covering 13 shown in FIG. 2 forenclosing the elastic profiled insert 6, of which covering 13 only theedge 14 is shown in FIG. 1, is provided on the side facing towards theknee joint 4 with the two windows 15 and 16, which allow contact betweenthe elastic profiled insert 6 and the skin of the knee joint 4. Thiscreates a certain adhesion of the profiled insert 6 on the skin of theknee joint 4, which permits slide-free wearing of the knee-jointbandage.

The section shown in FIG. 2 along line II--II from FIG. 1 shows the kneejoint 4, the knee-joint bones having been omitted in thisrepresentation. The drawing shows only the knee cap 9. The twoknee-joint tendons 11 and 12 extend on either side of the poplitealspace 10. Pulled over the knee joint 4 is the tube 5, which is fitted onthe side of the popliteal space 10 with the elastic covering 13. Saidelastic covering 13 may be made of the same textile material as the tube5. The covering 13 is elastically connected--in this case by bonding--tothe tube 5 along the edge 14 of the covering 13. In conjunction with thetube 5, the covering 13 thus forms a pocket enclosing the elasticprofiled insert 6. The representation in FIG. 2 shows a small gapbetween the skin of the knee joint 4 and the tube 5, which gap does not,of course, exist--owing to the elasticity of the tube--when the tube hasbeen pulled over the knee joint. In practice, therefore, the tubedirectly rests on contact with the skin of the knee joint 4. In FIG. 2,said gap is provided only for reasons of clarity of the representation.

Opposite the tendons 11 and 12, the elastic profiled insert 6 comprisesthe recesses 7 and 8, into which, when the knee 4 is bent, the tendons11 and 12 move and are consequently accommodated in virtuallypressureless and therefore pain-free manner by the recesses 7 and 8. Inthis way, however, the regions laterally adjacent to the recesses 7 and8 exert a desired pressure on the popliteal space 10. In therepresentation shown in FIG. 2 with the knee 4 extended, the tendons 11and 12 are shown, according to their then prevailing position, with adistance from the two recesses 7 and 8.

FIG. 3 shows the encircled region of FIG. 2, in this case with the kneejoint bent. With the knee joint in this position, the knee-joint tendon11 (the same applies also, of course, to the knee-joint tendon 12 notshown) pops out of the relevant region of the leg and is accommodated bythe recess 7, with the result that the skin surrounding the knee-jointtendon 11 is not subjected to any pressure whatsoever from the elasticprofiled insert 6. However, the regions of the elastic specially shapedinsert 6 adjacent to the recess 7 are used to exert pressure against theregions of the knee joint adjacent to the knee-joint tendon 11, thisresulting in the hereinbefore-mentioned desired massage effect.

What is claimed is:
 1. An elastic knee-joint bandage, comprising:anelongated tube constructed of an elastic material; and an elasticprofiled insert positioned inside the elongated tube and extending alongthe length of the popliteal space, the insert having a pair of parallelpreformed grooves extending along the entire length of the insert suchthat when the bandage is placed about the knee, the insert is positionedover the popliteal space, each groove accommodating one poplitealtendon, whereby the insert exerts pressure on the popliteal spacewithout exerting pressure on the popliteal tendons.
 2. Knee-jointbandage according to claim 1, characterized in that the profiled insert(6) is loosely positioned between the tube (5) and an elastic textilecovering (13), said elastic textile covering (13) extending across theprofiled insert (6) and the edge (14) thereof being elasticallyconnected to the tube (5).
 3. Knee-joint bandage according to claim 1,characterized in that the covering (13) is provided with at least onewindow (15, 16), directed towards the knee joint (4), for the profiledinsert (6) to contact the skin.